Electric switch.



o. 729,255. 'PATENTED MAY 26, 1903.

- H. BAYER.

ELECTRIC sWITc-H.

APPLIO'ATIOH' FILED JAN. 38 190i.

N0 MODEL.

Q Fig.5. Fig. 5.

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Witnesses: I Y L h'1\/c Y \bOP.

He-nr'q Bayer. I x Z] r I I I Abbq me now no. 729,255. 1 UNITED STATES Patented May 26, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY BAYER, OF SCHENEOTADY, YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL- ELEOTRIO COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 729,255, dated. May 26, 1903.

Application filed January 28, 1901- Serial No. 45,010- (NomodeL) To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY BAYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to switches for electric circuits, and especially to incandescentlamp keys in which there is considerable lost motion between the make-and-break contact and its vactuating-spindle, so as to permit a sudden opening of the lamp-circuit when the current is turned .off, and sparking.

So far as I am aware this class of switches has not heretofore been provided with means for suddenly closing the circuit instead of the comparatively slow closing occasioned by the gradual and regular approach of the contacts. I find that sparking can be reduced and the life of the switch lengthened by so constructing it as to give a sudden closing movement in addition to the customary quickopening action.

My invention therefore consists in a switch in which there is a rotatable contact-block and means for giving it a sudden movement in closing, preferably in a direction transverse to the axis of rotation. To this end I provide a polygonal contact-block with an oblong hole, by which it is loosely mounted on the spindle. A spring is arranged to exert a pressure on the block, so as to cause it to move quickly in a lengthwise direction when turned to a predetermined position, and thus close the circuit with a sudden jump.

view of a modification on an enlarged scale. The shell A and its insulatingdining B are The screws 0,

of the usual construction.

thus reduce the .transverse to the axis of the spindle.

, which fasten together the end and body of the shell, also enter recesses in the base D,0f porcelain or the like, to which is secured the lamp-socket proper, E, being a screw-threaded metal shell having a bottom flange e, containing holes registering with holes d in the base to receive fastening-screws. The socket forms the contact for one of the lamp-terminals when the base of the lamp is screwed into it. The other lamp-terminal bears against a center contact F, fastened to the base and carrying a binding-screw ffor one of the lineterminals. A disk G, of mica or the like, lies between the-center contact and the bottom flange of the socket. The other line-terminal is connected to a binding-screw h on a U- shaped frame H, secured by a screw H in a slot in the base D. In the arms of the frame is jou rnaled the key-spindle I, having struckup retaining-lugs i and provided at one end with a handle I of insulation. The other end of the spindle has considerable play in its hearing h. Just inside this end of the frame the spindle carries a contact-block K, preferably an oblong rectangular piece of metal having an oblong recess in which are received the actuating-lugs '13 on the spindle. The size of the recess is such as to leave sides It on each side as Well as at the ends, thereby inclosing the actuating-lugs, which in operating the block come in contact with said sides 70. The block is thus stronger than those in which the lugs Work in a transverse notch extending entirely across the block; but there is space enough between the sides It and thelugs 2 to afford a good deal of lost motion between the lugs and the block in order to give a snap action in opening the circuit, and thus obviate sparking. A leaf-spring L is secured to the frame, and its free end bears on the contact-block, forcing it toward the socket E.

The hole is in the contact-block, through which the spindle passes, is oblong, so that the block can slip lengthwise ina directilpn T is feature of construction results in allowing the block to slide suddenly into contact with turned from its open-circuit position in Fig.

ICO

' the block lengthwise, its corner striking the flange e of the socket E, as shown in Fig. 8. The circuit is thus closed instantly instead of by the comparatively slow approach of the block and flange due to turning the spindle.

In the modification shown in Fig. 10 the hole It is enlarged at each end, so that the spindle will be retained therein for a longer time before the sudden movement of the block can take place.

The contact'blocks can be conveniently and cheaply made by stamping them up from a solid bar.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an electric switch, the combination with a spindle, of a contact-block mounted loosely thereon, lugs on the spindle to rotate said block with lost motion, and a spring to move said block transversely with respect to the spindle.

2. In an electric switch, the combination with the spindle having a side projection, of a rotatable contact-block having an oblong hole therein for frictional engagement with the spindle and projection,and means for moving the block transversely on the spindle.

3. In an electric switch, the combination with the spindle having a side projection, of a rotatable contact-block having an oblong hole therein for frictional engagement with the spindle and projection, and a spring acting to move the block transversely with respect to the spindle.

4. In an electric switch, the combination with the spindle, of a contact-block having an oblong recess in one side, said recess being inclosed on each side and end, and an elliptical aperture extending through the said block.

5. In a lamp-socket switch,the combination with the actuating-spindle havinga side projection, of the switch-block having a slot for the reception of the spindle and projection and for frictional engagement therewith, and a spring which shoots the block transversely of the spindle when turned beyond the angle of friction, to quickly close the switch.

6. In alamp-socket switch,the combination with the actuating-spindle having lugs, of the switch-block having a slot for the lugs and a second slot for the spindle itself, and a spring which shoots the block when permitted by the second slot, to quickly close the switch, and

which shoots the block when permitted by the 

